Clouded to Clarity
by Snow Turtle
Summary: This is a preview on Chapter one. In this story, I'm going to follow off the original show's premise of maturity and growth. This is my first Ben 10 fanfic, constructive criticisms are always welcomed and appreciated. I hope you guys like it. P.S. Dialogues and interactions are my weakest link if, at any point, you feel that I don't do the characters justice, feel free to tell me.


A summer that is filled with adventures is a routine. A summer that is filled with love is a happy struggle. Ben had always been the heroic type, putting himself in front of danger for others was second nature. Putting his feelings out there, in hopes for the other to respond in acceptance was a fear that even the mighty Ben 10 coward to. This summer was going to be a happy struggle. Ben had been training quite a bit. His most recent fights had not ended the way he'd had hoped. His photographic memory was helpful in reading his opponents' movements, but he himself had not been moving any differently. Too many close calls are nothing to be happy about. His powers keep him unscathed no matter who his opponents are, but his heart struggles with the truth that it doesn't apply to the one he cares about the most. Gwen's magical powers may help her fight, but her body is as weak as any other human. His memories make him uncomfortable, his feelings make him see hell. Flashes of pain across her face, wounds across her body, and exhaustion across her soul, all things that he could have prevented, all hardships that he could have taken away, but he wasn't good enough. Anger, mixed with mental frustration was leaving Ben sloppy and distracted. Taking a break he felt that he didn't deserve, Ben decided that it was time to check on Gwen. He made his way back to the RV (named Rust Bucket) that he, Gwen, and his grandfather, Max, had been living in. What he saw upon arrival was nothing new. His grandfather sleeping and Gwen was struggling with nightmares and pain from her injuries. It was just as how he had remembered it, pain across her face, wounds across her body, and exhaustion across her soul. It had not been long since he last visited her. There was nothing he could do, her bandages were new, her band-aids were new, her sheets were new, her glass of water was new. He felt so dramatically helpless. All he could do was sit there and wait, and so he did.

Gwen awoke to a dark RV wall. There was no light in sight. She was on her right side, facing the back end of the Rust Bucket. In a sudden need to move, she tried her best to turn to her left side in order to face the front of the RV, but that didn't end too well for her. Sharp and alarming, the pain was too much. Her vision had brightened as the sudden jolt made her more aware of her surroundings, but it also made her dizzy and tired as it left her drained. Persevering, she slowly turned her head towards the left side, finally seeing the rest of the RV, along with Ben and her grandfather. She noticed that Ben was sitting on the floor at the bottom of her elevated bed, parallel to her. Both of their heads were on the right side of the RV, while their feet were pointing to the left. Ben was curled up with his knees pressed against his chest as his heels slid against his hamstrings. His arms were folded on top of his knees, but his head was slanted against his right shoulder while leaning slightly back against the wall. It was a sad sight. She fought to lessen his burdens, but what she saw made her question herself. She was selfish, and it wasn't rewarding. When lives are on the line, many emotions begin to blend. One's stance on another begins to blur. Gwen's original desire to fight was splint between two reasons, the first one stays true to lessening Ben's burden. Fight after fight, both Gwen and Ben learned the consequences of the new life they led, the consequences of failing. Especially Ben. Gwen could see that he began to blame himself for so many casualties that he had no control of, so much pain that he was not responsible for, especially the dangers that Ben's presence put her and her grandfather through. It was eating at him, and she saw it began to take away his sense of wonder, his childhood. Watching him slip away was painful, on one hand, she admired his newfound maturity, but on the other, it was clearly tearing him apart, and she began to realize that she had newfound emotions of her own.

She was worried. She was scared. One could almost describe it as the thought of Ben getting hurt, sank her heart, but really, her heart was pulling her whole body down with it. The thought was heavy, and the feeling of dread was no lighter. It wasn't the type of feeling one would have for a friend or even a family member. It was the type of dread that made you have nightmares based on hypotheticals. It was the type of fear that would make you run and curl yourself against that person, so they might never leave you and walk into danger. It was the type of love that made you feel like you didn't have to die to reach heaven. This sense of paranoia was the type only given the person one would say "I do." to happily ever after. As time passed, her love for Ben became unclear, the type of love was hidden to her, the intensity of love was never tested until she decided to join the battlefield. Thus the second reason for fighting came to fruition. She had hoped that sharing the battlefield would help them grow closer and that one day, he would feel for her as she has felt for him. For once, she wanted to see that kind of emotion behind his eyes. She wanted him to worry about her for a change. Reality, however, can be morbid, and emotions can be cruel. Tugging at her strings, she became very happy to see the dedication Ben had for caring for her and helping her through her injuries, but the fact that her injuries left Ben defeated only made her realized that she had lost track of her original goal, and in turn, tortured the one she claims to care about. Slowly turning to the ceiling, she was too exhausted to fully cry, too dehydrated to make a sound, and yet, she had tears running down from her eyes to her ears. She felt comfortable crying in silence. It was a good time for her emotions to come forth. This was the first private moment that she had in almost two weeks, and she could think of no better way to use it.

Softly, she hears something move to her left. The light sounds that she heard almost complemented the silence and the atmosphere, so she didn't question it, not until it spoke. "You really shouldn't be losing any more water. Do you know how hard it is to hydrate a dweeb that is too lazy to drink their own glass of water? Even after I, the great Ben Tennyson, went out of my way to pour you a fresh glass?"


End file.
